Modular conveyor belt with dedicated access assembly
A dedicated access assembly for a conveyor belt forms a dedicated opening and closing point for the conveyor belt. The dedicated access assembly includes a female portion having one or more open hooks and a male portion including a hinge rod extending between linking elements. The open hook disengages from and engages the hinge rod to selectively open and close the conveyor belt. A latching mechanism can selectively lock the dedicated access assembly.
1. A module for a conveyor belt, comprising:
a body extending in height from a top conveying surface to an opposite bottom surface, longitudinally from a first end to a second end and laterally from a first side to a second side;
a first set of hinge elements extending from the first end of the body;
an open hook extending from the second end of the body for locking the module onto a hinge rod;
a recess aligned with the open hook and extending from the second end of the body to form a pocket for trapping the hinge rod, wherein the recess forms part of a thickened outer side edge of the module, and the thickened outer side edge includes the second side of the body;
a drive element extending from the bottom surface of the body at the first side of the body and spaced from the thickened outer side edge; and
a latching mechanism seated in a space between the thickened outer side edge and the drive element for locking the open hook onto the hinge rod.
2. The module of claim 1 , wherein the thickened outer side edge includes a protrusion for positioning the latching mechanism.
3. The module of claim 1 , wherein the latching mechanism comprises a spring clip mounted on a rod.
4. The module of claim 3 , wherein the spring clip comprises an opening for receiving the rod, a tip for selectively blocking the opening of the open hook and a base that contacts the bottom surface of the module body.
5. The module of claim 1 , wherein the module is formed of metal.
6. A module for a conveyor belt, comprising:
a body extending in height from a top conveying surface to an opposite bottom surface, longitudinally from a first end to a second end and laterally from a first side to a second side;
a first set of hinge elements extending from the first end of the body;
an open hook extending from the second end of the body for locking the module onto a hinge rod; and
a latching mechanism for locking the open hook onto the hinge rod, the latching mechanism including a tip for locking the hinge rod within the open hook and a biasing mechanism for biasing the tip into a locked position.
7. The module of claim 6 , wherein the latching mechanism includes an opening that aligns with the first set of hinge elements.
8. The module of claim 6 , further comprising a recess aligned with the open hook and extending from the second end of the body to form a pocket for trapping the hinge rod.
9. The module of claim 6 , wherein the latching mechanism includes a positioning recess in a bottom surface and the module body includes a protrusion seated in the positioning recess to maintain the position of the latching mechanism relative to the body.
10. The module of claim 6 , wherein the biasing mechanism further includes a leaf spring with an upper span extending parallel to the tip, an opening for receiving a rod, a curve near the opening and a bottom span that overlies the bottom surface of the module body.
11. The module of claim 6 , wherein the biasing mechanism comprises a torsion bar and the tip is formed on a lever mounted on the torsion bar.
12. The module of claim 6 , wherein the latching mechanism comprises a spring clip mounted on an alignment rod extending between a pair of stanchions.
13. A module for a conveyor belt, comprising:
a body extending in height from a top conveying surface to an opposite bottom surface, longitudinally from a first end to a second end and laterally from a first side to a second side;
a first set of hinge elements extending from the first end of the body;
a pocket extending from the second end of the body for trapping a hinge rod; and
a latching mechanism for locking the hinge rod in the pocket, the latching mechanism including a tip for locking the hinge rod within the pocket and a biasing mechanism for biasing the tip into a locked position.
14. The module of claim 13 , wherein the latching mechanism includes a hinge element configured to align with the first set of hinge elements.
15. The module of claim 13 , further comprising an open hook extending from the second end of the body and aligned with the pocket.
16. The module of claim 13 , wherein the body includes a protrusion and the latching mechanism includes a recess in a bottom surface for seating the protrusion.